UN food agency has to cut food aid for 2 million more Afghans
The UN World Food Program (WFP) says it has to cut rations to another two million Afghans this month, warning that the measures will “add to “already worrying levels of hunger and malnutrition.”
Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP's Country Director and Representative in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that the drastic measures have to be taken due to a “massive funding shortfall.”
“Amid already worrying levels of hunger and malnutrition, we are obliged to choose between the hungry and the starving, leaving millions of families scrambling for their next meal.”
The UN agency said that the funding for food and cash assistance is expected to run out by the end of October and the WFP has had to steadily cut assistance through the year to 10 million Afghans.
It said if no funding comes through, 90% of remote areas in need will be cut off without food and even in inaccessible locations, people will get no supplies during the harsh weather.
"That is the catastrophe that we have to avert," Lee warned.
About three-quarters of Afghanistan's people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the agency. Almost 20% of the people the WFP helps are women heading households.
"WFP is often the last lifeline for those who don't have other options,” Lee said.
He warned that the cuts mean that approximately 1.4 million new and expecting mothers and their children are no longer receiving specialized food designed to prevent malnutrition, which will cause a sharp rise in admissions to nutrition centers.
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